Many more people will die.
This is not something Zhao Huan could decide; it is an objective law.
Every change in the system, every social revolution, is a contest between various forces.
Each faction represents a different viewpoint.
Everyone has their own perspective on the world.
Those who have the power of discourse insist on influencing the world with their own views.
Therefore, if we want to keep the direction of the Song Dynasty unchanged for a hundred years, and to get the people of the whole country to accept a certain viewpoint within a hundred years, many people must die.
This is something we have no choice but to do.
This has nothing to do with Zhao Huan's personal feelings and preferences. A qualified leader would have already set aside personal preferences when making decisions.
Just like these thirteen merchants, from another perspective, did they make any contribution to the Song Dynasty?
Of course!
Each of them paid far more taxes than the average person; perhaps Zhao Huan's dozen or so cannons were built with the money Zhang Muyuan paid in taxes.
They did indeed support many families.
They have contributed far more than those idle, morally ambiguous individuals who spend their days gossiping and making irresponsible pronouncements on morality in the streets.
However, these are still not reasons why they shouldn't have died.
A life for a life is a matter of course.
Only their deaths will make more people realize that there are bottom lines in business.
Merchants can submit memorials offering suggestions on governing the country, but they absolutely cannot have the power to govern.
They must not have the power to influence local jurisdiction!
Zhao Huan said, "Zhang Muyuan, tell me, who instructed you to support the King of Liao?"
"Haha, Your Majesty, are you afraid when you ask this question?"
Knowing that he was close to death, Zhang Muyuan suddenly felt relieved.
Zhao Huan looked at him calmly.
"Your Majesty, although you have already established the Duke of Qin as the Crown Prince, there are more supporters of the King of Liao in the Song Dynasty today, because the King of Liao is more likely to accept us."
His words struck a chord with Zhao Huan.
Even if you are the emperor, you cannot change this fact. Today, you kill me, but tomorrow there will be thousands upon thousands of me.
Zhao Huan looked at Zhang Muyuan and said, "It doesn't matter. Kill as many as they come. I would rather lay my head from Chang'an to Gaochang than let the merchants of the Great Song Dynasty know where their place is!"
"Impossible, Your Majesty. You cannot possibly kill all the merchants in the world. It is a paradox that you vigorously support commerce while simultaneously killing merchants."
Zhao Huan calmly replied, "You don't understand."
Merchants should not be allowed to govern; there are numerous examples of this in later generations.
Zhao Huan didn't want to delve any further into the matter with Zhang Muyuan. The path Zhao Huan had chosen was a very lonely one, and probably no one would understand him.
Zhao Huan walked towards the prison gate, and Zhang Muyuan's voice could be heard behind him: "Your Majesty, you will be an enemy of all merchants and all people. You created this era with your own hands, yet you are going against the will of Heaven!"
The next day, Zhao Huan, dressed in ordinary clothes, was escorted to the East Market of Chang'an City by thirteen merchants.
The crowd of onlookers blocked the road.
Today, newspapers such as the Song Dynasty Gazette, Chang'an Express, and Chang'an Daily in Chang'an have all published reports on this event.
Furthermore, the crimes of these thirteen individuals were listed one by one, which aroused great public outrage.
In ancient times, not every crime resulted in execution; there were many other ways to deal with such cases.
For example, hanging.
But these thirteen people were not hanged, nor were they simply beheaded; they were to be displayed to the public.
At noon, none of the thirteen people's family members were among the crowd.
Some were exiled, others committed suicide.
In the past, they were incredibly wealthy; now, it's all gone in the blink of an eye.
Those who had previously benefited from their kindness also distanced themselves from them after the incident.
Zhao Huan stood coldly amidst the crowd, watching thirteen heads fall to the ground.
He felt a sense of security.
In the afternoon, the official gazette and other major newspapers sold out.
The charges against them were described in great detail.
After the emperor swiftly executed thirteen of the wealthiest merchants in Chang'an, it caused a huge uproar among the people of Shaanxi Road.
From top to bottom, the railway construction from Chang'an City to Xingqing Prefecture was reorganized.
For a time, the people seemed to be very excited.
But for some reason, Zhao Huan did not feel any excitement.
A sense of melancholy and anxiety welled up inside me.
In the fourteenth year of the new policy, the rising power of businessmen was even more frenzied than he had imagined.
To this day, the Song Dynasty is still predominantly rural, with the vast majority of its population still residing in rural areas.
Strictly speaking, the Song Dynasty was still primarily an agricultural power.
It will take at least another generation of tireless efforts for the Song Dynasty to truly transform itself.
The streets of Chang'an returned to normal order, and the execution of thirteen wealthy merchants did not seem to have caused any damage to the city.
The imperial court took back all their assets and then sent people to maintain them.
Although the government officials were inefficient, they managed to keep things afloat.
What followed was a dispute between two factions.
Liu Zhiyuan, the prefect of Chang'an, believed that the imperial court should sell these assets to another group of wealthy merchants so that they could take over and ensure the normal operation of these huge assets.
After all, the trading companies of the thirteen wealthy merchants were related to the livelihood of the people of Chang'an and had far-reaching implications.
The imperial court was not capable of managing such a complex business community.
For example, Xue Donglai, a rising star in Chang'an, and Li Xunqing, who made his fortune in grain.
These people are wealthy and each already has a mature business operation system, making it the most suitable option to sell the remaining assets of the thirteen rich merchants to them.
However, Zhang Zhu, the Commissioner of the Judicial Bureau, did not think so. He believed that doing so would only concentrate the wealth of Shaanxi Province further, which would greatly contradict the emperor's "Economic Treatise".
He believed that the Royal Trading Company should take over the entire operation, firstly because it would be easier for the government to control, and secondly to prevent the risk of certain merchants in Shaanxi Road taking advantage of the situation to grow too powerful.
The bigwigs on Shaanxi Road have been debating this issue for several days.
There are naturally underlying interests at play here.
For example, Liu Zhiyuan was very close to people like Xue Donglai, and he naturally hoped to take this opportunity to support Xue Donglai.
For example, Zhang Zhu had a rather special status. He belonged to the judicial system and was under the jurisdiction of the Censorate. He exercised judicial power, specifically judicial power over government officials.
He rarely interacted with ordinary people and their lives, and since he was transferred from Luoyang, he didn't have much support among the people in Shaanxi Road.
On the contrary, because he was in charge of supervising government officials, he had many confidants within the government and a lot of connections in the Royal Trading Company on Shaanxi Road.
He naturally favored the Royal Trading Company.
Both sides have their own reasons for this argument, and neither is wrong. It's just a matter of waiting for Zhao Huan to make a decision.
On this day, Zhao Huan summoned Xue Donglai to the imperial palace. He wanted to discuss with Xue Donglai, a newly rich man under the new policies, and understand what such a person was thinking.
Do they all share the same thoughts as Zhang Muyuan?
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